Street Sweeper

Today we celebrate a great man who was not afraid to stand up for what he believed in. He was intelligent and charismatic and convinced hundreds upon hundreds of people to follow him and fight for equality. Everyone recognizes his “I have a dream” speech, but it is his less well known speech called “The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life” that I find to be my favorite because it’s not just about equality, it is something that everyone should listen to, regardless of race.

In this speech Martin Luther King Jr. talks about how you should be the best at whatever you do. Even if you are a simple street sweeper you should be the best street sweeper you can be. Too many people today see their job as just a job. It is just a stepping stone to the next, hopefully better one. So they don’t care if they do their job well, they won’t be there long so it doesn’t matter. But how can you expect to find a better job, get a raise, or be promoted if you aren’t an outstanding employee? Every job is important. No job is so low that it should not be done well.

“What I’m saying to you this morning, my friends, even if it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, go on out and sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures; sweep streets like Handel and Beethoven composed music; sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry;” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. wanted everyone to be the best at whatever they do. He wanted them to work hard and earn what they receive. He wanted them to treat everything they do as important and meaningful, because it is.

Even if you are just flipping burgers at McDonalds, be the best burger flipper you can be. If you are just a street sweeper, “sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, "Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well."

 

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. A day to celebrate a great man who continues to inspire people long after he is gone.